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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Visiting Coimbatore (Cbe) is not a big deal as it was a couple of months back. The reason that it was a big deal then was because I was very busy and visiting Cbe included break from my work, catching up with family and friends. Now that I'm neither busy nor I'm visiting Cbe for fun, it has become a part of every month's schedule. Last weekend (Sunday + Monday), I was in Cbe for one such work, which showed no sign of any improvement though I have slogged for sometime now. Success is becoming one word that is getting difficult to spell the harder i try.

Coming to the subject, I prefer not traveling by the Government Transport, especially during the night times. This is because when you tend to sleep in the Government buses, you can't find out where you get hit. I opt to spend 130 bucks extra and get a ticket by some private travels rather than getting hit badly. Also, for my physique, it is quite difficult for me to stretch my legs in a Government bus. However, for the past couple of trips, traveling by travels is getting bitter. For instance, when I was traveling from Cbe to the city I live yesterday, the seat that was allocated to me was hanging on one side with support only on one side. For a moment, I was so angry that I wanted to break it completely. Then, thinking about it struck me that sitting properly on the seat would do for it to break by the time I reached my destination.

Having made my peace with the seat, I was listening to the best music according to me. I'm always proud about my taste for music. If I make a play-list of 50 songs and play it to a crowd (say 100 people) with mixed taste, I'm confident that everyone in that crowd will have a set of songs (not one or two) in that play-list that they loved. This may seem irrelevant now, but I'll link it to the story later :'(.

Coming back to settling on the half-dead seat, I set my mobile alarm to wake me up at 3AM. That's almost around the time I'd reach my place. By mid-night I realized that listening to music was a lost cause because of the sleep. I disconnected the headsets from my mobile, shoved them into my Jeans pockets and went to sleep.

Time: 3AMEvent: Alarm Ringing! [The Dropkick Murphy Number - Theme Music of "The Departed"]Action: I got up, switched-off the alarm (Note the point! Switched it off. Didn't Snooze it). This proves that I was fully up and aware I was almost reaching Paris as a Rich Noble (during the French Revolution). In simpler words, I was reaching the city I live in. After realizing that it would take some more time to reach there, I put the mobile phone back into my shirt pocket and went to a much environment-aware sleep.

Time: 3:20AMEvent: Sudden halt of bus and glowing lights inside the bus.Action: I got up, found out that I had reached my place. However, the bus had not reached the second stopping, where I had to get down. It was still in the first stopping. I wanted to confirm if the bus would halt at the second stopping. I got up and walked to the driver's seat.First Shock (10 degrees): I felt my shirt pocket. My mobile, which was supposed to be there, was not in place.Reliever: It would have fallen on my seat.[After confirming that the bus would halt at where I had to get down, I rushed to my seat]Second Shock (50 degrees): The mobile was not there.Reliever: It would have slipped down.[I went down on my knees and checked below the seats]Third Shock(250 degrees + a small sink in the heart): It was not there.Panic Button1: I asked the people sitting near my seat (all directions).Fourth Shock(1250 degrees + a deeper sink): No one had any clue.Panic Button2: I requested a mobile phone from one of the people there and called my mobile.Reliever: It was ringing.Fifth Shock(no measure! A big hole in the heart): No trace of any sound. Chiju! Is it gone?

When the bus reached my stopping, I requested the driver to wait for sometime and he was courteous enough to wait there for half an hour. I searched every nook and corner of the bus. After sometime, in vain, I thanked the driver, got into an auto to get home. My mind had nothing other than the phone. As soon as, I opened the door, I reached my land line phone and called my mobile. It still kept ringing. With a great ray of hope, I got my bike keys. At 3:45 AM in the morning, I rode my bike to wherever the phone could have slipped and fell. How much distance could the bus have covered in 20 minutes? After driving something like 20kms odd, I came back home. Again I called my mobile. The sweet lady (not sweet anymore) called out, "The Airtel Number you are trying to reach is currently switched off!"

It is some lucky *******'s day to get a mobile with a 2 GB memory card that carries a great collection of beautiful songs.

PS: Dedicated to the memory of my K810i and the Rahman Wallpaper that it displays. Miss you!

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Well, this is the first time that I am writing about PC games. People who know me would never discuss PC games with me. Dangerous Dave still remains my favorite game . Counter Strike is another.

However, Cricket is one PC game i used to play since my childhood. Thanks to EA Sports & Brian Lara Cricket, I have loved to play Cricket on my computer. Now lets walk through a couple of cricket games that have been released and played a lot of times.

Cricket 97:Very well appreciated for its graphics, considering the technical advancements at that time, Cricket 97 was famous. The "Howzaaat" sound made by the players, every time a wicket fell, would never be forgotten by anyone who has played the game. One other memorable thing about the game is the way the batsman used to crumple, with an "Ohhhhhh" from the crowd, when he gets hit by the ball.

Brian Lara Cricket (1999 I suppose):Though I had not played the game as much as i had played Cricket 97, it was a good one with improved animation and clearer faces of the cricketers.

Cricket 2003 (or 2005):I don't remember the exact year. But, the game had improved difficulty levels and simulated the real game in an even better manner compared to the previous versions.

Cricket 2007:This is the latest version that I'm playing even now. However, I would not give any positive feedback (Refer SKOAR for a good laugh). With all the players' names misspelled, the quality has definitely deteriorated, except for a better look.

Cricket 2008:A few sites claim that inclusion of the IPL patch to the 2007 version is this. But I am not very sure about it.

Although all the above mentioned versions are famous and successful, the fan base for playing PC Cricket is gradually decreasing. However, here might be what Cricket 2009 would be like. (Just to spice up the sales a bit, you know)

Cricket 2009:Scenario:The objective of this level is to successfully transport the players from their hotel to the ground.